Tempus Fugit: the super-fast superyacht

When Turkish boat builder Erbil Arkin wanted a superyacht that blended speed with a stunning aesthetic, he soon realised a J Class wasn’t enough. Here, project manager Önder Kahraman of Arkin Pruva Yachts explains how traditional wood craftsmanship combines with WEST SYSTEM® epoxy to create Tempus Fugit: a yacht that’s in a class of her own.

For now, the beautiful Tempus Fugit has come home. “She’ll be in our shed for a couple more weeks, for a refit and a few improvements,” smiles Önder Kahraman.

“She cannot help but steal the limelight wherever she goes.”

It’s easy to see why Önder, project manager for Turkish boat builder Arkin Pruva, is so proud. Tempus Fugit is breathtaking to behold. At over 27 metres long, with a varnished mahogany hull and polished wood gleaming from surfaces inside and out, she cannot help but steal the limelight wherever she goes.

Tempus Fugit was originally intended to be a J Class yacht for boatyard owner Erbil Arkin. It was actually a friend and fellow designer, Rob Humphreys, who convinced Erbil a J Class would never truly offer the sumptuous accommodation he wanted. So, the Tempus Class was born.

Constructed over a period of 18 months, from 2011 to 2013, the flagship Tempus Fugit was always going to be a labour of love for Erbil. While sailing speed was paramount (playing nicely to Rob Humphreys’ strengths), the aesthetic of the brief was just as important and this came naturally to the Arkin Pruva team.

Having already collaborated on such design classics as the superyacht Daima and Shindela, with the late Ed Burnett, the company prides itself on delivering the finest craftsmanship.

“We believe that carpentry, joinery and paintwork are extremely important elements of boat building. They showcase what a company can do,” says Önder. “That’s why we don’t outsource it; we have a team of very talented craftsmen who carry out this work in-house.”

Epoxy: letting the wood shine through

Indeed, given the sheer amount of wood used for this project, there was never any doubt that epoxy construction techniques were going to be used. Önder and the Arkin Pruva team have been fans of WEST SYSTEM epoxy products for more than eight years.

“I have no doubt that WEST SYSTEM products work well with wood. That’s so important on a build like this.”

“I’m an engineer, so I like the strength of epoxy,” says Önder. “I have no doubt that WEST SYSTEM products work well with wood. That’s so important on a build like this, because we’ve used all sorts of wood here – iroko for the keel, acajou (African mahogany) for the planking and frames, teak for the deck. We know that epoxy will be strong, even with an oily wood like teak. We’ve used it on all the joinery too.”

The construction process began with building steel female moulds for the keel and for the ring frames. Two teams from Arkin Pruva worked concurrently to laminate the planking and frames, working to build the boat upside down and adding the frames layer by layer.

“The design brief was to laminate the frames before putting them on the keel, so that they become part of the joinery,” explains Önder. “There was no need to add beams when we could display the natural beauty of the wood construction.”

Epoxy was also used in the fibreglass sheathing that was applied below the waterline. “At virtually every stage we used epoxy,” says Önder. The finished hull was skimmed with five layers of veneer, laid both diagonally and longitudinally for strength and smoothness. WEST SYSTEM epoxy products were also used in the tender by Williams Marine and the spars from Halls Spars use PRO-SET Epoxy.

Exceeding all expectations

With a name meaning “Time Flies” in Latin, you’d expect the finished build to be as fast as she is beautiful but perhaps not this fast. She’s surpassing all expectations for performance. After leaving the yard and completing a short period of sea trials, Tempus Fugit entered the Voile de St Tropez. Competing against high speed yachts from Swan, Wally and Vitters, Tempus Fugit finished fifth out of 23 boats.

Since then she has gone on to impress audiences at Loro Piano, NYYC Annual Regatta and the Opera House Cup. “Eventually we may be able to hold races within the Tempus class. But for now, this is very impressive,” Önder smiles.

A bright future

The Arkin Pruva team is presently working on a larger 32 metre Tempus, which is in design. Tempus Fugit, meanwhile, will undoubtedly see the world. She spent winter 2013 in the Caribbean, while summer 2014 saw her cruising the east coast of the USA. After a short stay at the Arkin Pruva yard in Antalya this summer, this powerful, expertly crafted flagship is destined to turn heads wherever she goes next.